I am in awe that we can bike here from our house for a morning outing (and somewhat embarrassed that I have lived here most of my life and haven’t done so yet). Our City of Kitchener bike map was a great resource for finding the closest place to access the Grand River. Before Lancaster meets Bridge Street, there is an inconspicuous access point to the Water Bean Trail. Biking from high overlooking vistas and down to the water’s edge in just a short ride, it was a perfect sample of the Grand and we are refreshed. We took Riverbend Road and Guelph Street back home, empowered that we can bike to the water.

Lakeside Park is a centrally located destination for those that seek the water. Since my family and I discovered the park in March, it has been the preferred destination for an evening picnic and a short hike. It is very close to St. Mary’s hospital and is a pretty short detour by bike off the Iron Horse Trail.

In March, I was taken by the colours of the dogwood and dried grasses, which became the inspiration for a life size puppet and a shawl. Additionally, a positive encounter with a “homeless” man living in the woods there in winter was the inspiration for one of our new songs, “Camouflage of Convenience”. A remarkable huge and hollow tree that the kids climbed up into, seemed absolutely dead in March and we were surprised to find it as a living willow tree in summer (photos below).

You can learn about this diverse and living wildlife oasis here, on the City of Kitchener website: http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/Lakeside_Park.asp

There are scores of regionally significant breeding and migratory birds, including the Pied-billed Grebe, Chimney Swift, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Common Nighthawk, Barn Swallow, Great Blue Heron and Belted Kingfisher. We observed scores of Mallard Ducks and some Canada Geese. Turtles, mink, monarch butterflies, beaver and a population of bats also live there.

As for the human residents in the area, they are very dedicated to protecting and tending to their beautiful park. The archived newsletters and the 2014 Management Plan have been invaluable resources for me, in terms of identifying the flora and fauna that lives among us. In May, I had the pleasure of getting to know some of these locals at an event that they hosted. A generous resident offered their garage for my felting activities, as it was unseasonably cold.

Of course the park’s Shoemaker Pond resonates with me, considering my new venture in felting shoes, a history of creating puppets with shoes and telling stories about shoemakers.

Visiting this area of the Grand River for the first time is like being given the gift of sight. How could I have been living so close for so long, pining for a life closer to water without having gone there? Where Victoria Street meets the Grand River, lies the Stanley Park Optimist Natural Area and Kolb Park. At Kolb park there are inland wetlands teaming with wildlife. We walked through bull rushes taller than us and peered across flat flood plains. There was also an Osprey spreading its wings on their nest and we think we saw a muskrat. It had a more slender tail than an otter. We saw turtles but we are not sure what kind they are. If anyone goes there and identifies or photographs wildlife, plants and insects, please let me know! I am only felting what we see and hear.

Flying in the Forest: Birds and Butterflies (and Moths)

The rain was short lived, which has been hard on my natural dye garden, and on some of our forest plants and creatures. But sunny days do mean that we can see butterflies. Please let me know what you see and hear, flying in our natural areas. Photos would be great. Below are some examples of what I saw with a group of children at Huron natural area this week. The colourful butterfly is, in fact, not a Monarch. It is smaller but the markings are very similar. Do you know what kind is and what its caterpillar eats?

Fungus, fungus, tiny and humungous.

Now that we finally have gotten rain, do you see any growing in Kitchener’s natural areas? Some can be pretty amazing colours and shapes. Can you identify them, send a photo or describe them? Where were they growing?